Despite Court Ruling, Be Wary About Phone Use In Car

posted by KFBK News - Mike Simpson
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2 years ago

A state appeals court may have ruled that Californians can read GPS maps while driving, but think twice before pulling out your phone.

The state's hands-free law could have been written more clearly. That was the message from a panel of judges that reversed the case of a Fresno man ticketed for looking at a map on his iPhone while stuck in traffic. A victory for him, but it doesn't mean you won't get cited for mapping a route.

"If you're eating a Big Mac, or putting on eye makeup, or fumbling with your GPS, you could still get a ticket for traveling at an unsafe speed owen to conditions" said Chris Cochran.

Cochran, with the California Office of Traffic Safety, says citations are all about degree of danger. Its unclear whether the state will appeal or seek to further clarify the law.